Hitting the Low Notes
by Soul of a Wolf
Summary: They say music is the universal language, so can music get messages across between our favorite couple? Find out, read and review please!


I'm back and howling away

I'm back and howling away! This'll be a little more of a musical story, since it's just now hit me that the one story with music in it wasn't all I wanted it to be. Pikachu'll make an appearance or two, but he's about the only one. Oh, Pidgeotto and Onix will, they're the main modes of transportation! And Misty and Ash have already been a couple for a few months.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pokemon characters. The name Identity Crisis is owned by Brandy Sarwinski, Hilary Crain and Jasmine Pasimio. The lyrics for Identity Crisis were written by Brandy Sarwinski, Hilary Crain and Jasmine Pasimio. The lyrics for the song Forgive Me were written by Jasmine Pasimio.

**__**

Hitting the Low Notes

Slumbering peacefully upon a fluffy red pillow, he didn't hear the excited pitter-patter of feet entering the room. Their was a childish giggle as two people tore the packaging off of a new CD case, clawing their way to the prize inside. One boy ogled the faces of the three girls on the front of the cover, threatening to encase the plastic container with sheets of drool. The resounding smack caused the dreamer to twitch on his bed.

"Will ya calm down? You think you'd never seen a girl before!" The boy continued to stare at the cover as his friend popped the CD into the stereo.

"But these three are the most beautiful girls I've ever seen," came the monotone response. The boy working the machine rolled his eyes before continuing. With a click of a few buttons being pushed, the sound of the disc whirring away in the machine made it's way to the slowly awakening ears. A quiet, deceptive intro started up, causing the listeners to turn the volume up ever so slowly. Eventually, they could hear each note of the keyboard solo.

With a roaring blast that brought Pikachu shooting off the pillow, the drums and guitar kicked in to the song, causing objects everywhere in the room to vibrate with the force of the high volume. A powerful thunderbolt attack brought on by shock paralyzed Ash and Brock, leaving it up to Pikachu to turn down the noise before the house fell around their ears.

When the music was continuing at a decent level, Misty came barging into the room. She saw the scorch marks on the two boy's bodies, which didn't bother her much. They were all used to Pikachu's energy, it was just a matter of cleaning themselves up afterward.

"What's going on up here? I could've sworn someone set off a bomb!" She stood quietly, ignoring the weak moaning as she listened to the music. "Hey, isn't this that cool new girl trio?" she asked as a smile graced her face. Brock was up on his feet, totally neutralizing the effect of the shock, to shove the CD case in Misty's face.

"It's Identity Crisis! Aren't they the coolest?" Misty and Brock continued gabbing hysterically about the musicians as Ash struggled to pull himself off the ground.

"What's the big deal about a few girl singers?" he managed to moan. Two trusty mallets sent him flying back down to the floor. Misty stared at Brock in surprise. Brock merely shrugged as he put his mallet, very similar to Misty's, back into his pocket of anime space, then talked about the girls again. Ash made his way to a stand in silence. He moved to turn the radio on, since it seemed like the Misty and Brock weren't paying one ounce of attention to the CD. Once the music stopped though….

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!" Ash was knocked down as the two blew up in his face. As Brock was reaching to turn the CD player on again, an announcement came on that made him stop:

"It's been claimed to be the most fantastic show around, and it's coming straight to Viridian City! Come hear the music of the incredible new trio, Identity Crisis! Come see the hot new dance moves of Hil, Brandy and Jacee! On August 7th, eight days from now, they'll be holding a live concert behind the Viridian City Gym, and we're giving away a pair of free tickets to each of our first fifty callers! Plus, five very lucky callers will receive backstage passes to meet and greet the most incredible female singing sensations of the decade! Call now, 1-800-IWANT-IC, that's 1-800-492-6842, for YOUR chance to WIN!"

Brock was gone in a flash, bowling Pikachu over worse than a gust attack. Misty had leaped on Ash, showering him with kisses and pleading with him to call.

"Please, please, please Ash, I really want to go, Ash, I promise I'll be a good girl if you call…" she went on and on, giving him her best puppy face. Meanwhile, Ash fought to breathe.

"Ok, ok, Misty," he gasped. "I can't call if you don't let me up." Misty was off in a flash, faster than Ash ever could've believed her to move. As he made his way to the door, Misty was jumping up and down, hopping with excitement. With Ash's first step into the hallway, though, Brock tackled him, throwing him to the back of the room once more.

"I was caller number 10! I have backstage passes!" He and Misty jumped around in circles, holding each other's hands like little schoolgirls. When Ash stood, dizzily, once again, Misty grabbed his arms and dragged him toward the phone. It took him a while to get decently oriented. He figured out he was in the living room, but wasn't sure why and what the beeping noises were coming from. Misty hurriedly dialed the number and shoved the phone into his hand, spinning him around and tangling him in the cord. After a few rings, Misty could barely hear the voice of the station's DJ.

"This is Rockin' 103.7 and I'm Rai "the shockmaster" Charles." Misty bounced up and down, squealing.

"Ask him what caller you are, ask him what caller you are!" Ash, in his confused state, tried to comply.

"What I am caller, number, raichu, sir?" Misty fell to the ground, but listened intently. Rai laughed.

"Well, well, well, aren't you the funny one? You're also one lucky dog, because you're caller number 50! Not only do you get the two tickets to the IC concert, but you get two backstage passes! Congratulations, buddy! You can pick up your tickets at the station outside of Pallet tonight."

"Thank you, Mr. Rai master sir." Misty was already screaming and jumping in circles. Ash was trying to stop the pounding in his head. It didn't help that he just realized how stupid he must have sounded.

"There, are you happy now Misty? We can pick up the tickets when mom gets home." Misty tackled him to the floor once more, this time pinning him with a long, passionate kiss.

"Thank you so much, Ashy. Oh, I love you, I love you, I love you!" she squealed, proceeding to squeeze the life out of him. Ash simply laughed. _I love you, too, Misty_.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In a tour bus outside of Pewter City, three girls lounged around with the TV on. One, the shortest, was sleeping peacefully. Another, with dark brown hair held in a ponytail was frantically scribbling on a piece of paper. The third was watching, or making a pretense of watching, what was on TV, but was actually day dreaming about one of the singers.

The frantic scratching of pen on paper came to a halt with a short, quiet exclamation. Brandy, the day dreaming girl, looked over. Her slightly glazed glance was returned with a look of delightful triumph.

"Got that next song done, Jacee?" she asked casually. Jacee smiled, flipping her short ponytail as she nodded.

"Well, I've got the lyrics worked out the way I want, and the melody fits okay, so technically I'm done writing it, but it won't be finished until I can umpf!" she was cut off by a pillow being thrown in her face. Brandy chuckled, looking back at Hil, the launcher of the pillow. She was turning on her little couch, getting comfortable again without her extra pillow.

"Quit making so much noise, Jacee, or haven't you noticed I'm trying to sleep?" she mumbled once she was comfortably perched. Brandy laughed again, turning the TV off.

"Why are you working so hard on that anyway? It's not like we'll be able to perform it in Viridian." Jacee, who was lovingly stroking her slightly ruffled hair, sat up and tossed the pillow back in Hil's direction, drawing an angry groan out of the girl.

"I'm stubborn, that's all. You know how it is when I get a song going," she finally responded. Brandy nodded, satisfied with the answer. She stretched and yawned as Hil's fatigue became contagious.

"Well, I'm gonna go with Hil on this one and sleep. I'm still pooped from that concert in Cerulean. Trying to deal with those Sensational Blisters or whatever was quite a hassle." Hil once again moaned her distaste at hearing those words. Immediately her sleepiness left her as the raging memory of the snooty little valleygirls filled her mind. Brandy and Jacee cautiously pushed themselves back into their seats. They knew what happened when Hil got mad: the exact same thing that happened to those three girls in Cerulean!

"The nerve of those prissy little twits! Just what made them so much better than the rest of those girls, huh?" She was up walking around angrily now, giving the other two girls the incentive to gather pillows, blankets, anything soft, around their bodies in case blows ensued. "We're the stars of this town, so we should, like, get to mingle with these newcomers first!" she said, imitating Daisy. Funny as it was, Jacee fought not to laugh. "And then! Oh, and then they go and try to diss us! Heck, they DID bash us! What did we do? Was it so wrong to defend innocent people from a vicious egotistical verbal onslaught?! NO! They deserved what they got!" she finished loudly, plopping herself back down in her original place. Brandy peeked over the top of her pillow coverings, making sure the coast was clear.

"You didn't have to beat all three of them up though." Jacee dared to join.

"Yeah, only one of them called you a runt." Hilary crossed her arms in front of her chest, head held high.

"They all thought it, though. And there's nothing wrong with being short." With that, she curled herself up again, energy spent, returning to her nap. Brandy and Jacee giggled, then settled themselves in for their own rest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ash was starting to regret ever having dialed that radio station. And he wasn't even the one who dialed.

For an entire week, Misty and Brock went on and on about their precious tickets to the IC concert. They had even gone so far as to pay for a safety deposit box in order to make sure the tickets weren't lost (well, Brock did anyway). There were no more afternoon or nights walks together, no more fun battles (human or pokemon), no long chitchats before going to sleep, no decent meals. Brock burned anything he tried to cook once his attention was taken away from the food. The distraction? Misty talking about the concert, what else. Ash was starting to think winning those tickets for his precious little Misty, was the worst possible thing he could've done for their relationship!

He sighed and rolled his eyes as the two entered the living room. He flipped the channel to the six o'clock news, knowing that if they saw the commercial for the concert AGAIN, he'd be in for an earful. How they always managed to enter the room when it was on, he never figured out, but some psychic radar of their's always alerted them when it was on. Misty bounded in, landing herself into his lap. Brock plopped himself into the single seat, watching the news. He figured it was more interesting than watching Misty shower Ash with kisses, which Ash would admit was one thing he still enjoyed getting from her.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" she managed between kisses. Ash couldn't help but chuckle, though he didn't really feel all that great about it.

"Oh, no, not really, the last time was twenty minutes ago." Misty laughed before kissing him again. Ash sighed as she rolled her way off of him to see what Brock was squealing (yes, squealing) about. Misty snatched the remote from Ash's hand and cranked up the volume.

"Here you see crews frantically working to get the area behind Viridian Gym ready for tomorrow night's concert. Already people from all over the country have been arriving to find hotel space for this wonderful musical event. And as a special tonight for you young viewers who plan on coming into Viridian tomorrow, we've set up a special interview with the group Identity Crisis themselves." The narration stopped as the reporter and cameraman made their way toward the sleek, black tour bus. The three girls made their way out to greet him, sending Brock, Misty, and probably tons of other people out of their seats and two inches away from their screens. Brock was already drooling, not even paying attention to what was being said. Misty was basking in every word of the interview, as questions like how they got started, what touring is like, and what are future plans were being answered. Ash found their attitudes interesting, and he had to admit, the little one was cute…

"So we heard that there was a fuss after your last concert held in Cerulean. Would you care to elaborate on that?" Hil fumed instantly until both Brandy and Jacee laid restraining hands on her shoulders. She took a few deep breaths and excused herself back to the tour bus. Brandy took it upon herself to explain.

"Well, we've always tried to look out for each other cause all three of us are different. We'd get picked on for height, weight, hair color, race, you name it. Every now and then, Jacee's even accused of being a-"

"Let's not go there, Brandy," Jacee responded with a warning glare. Brandy chuckled and went on.

"Because of that, we are completely against cliques, petty social groups, blah, blah, blah, things like that." At this point, Jacee took over.

"There were three girls there who made it a point to do and say all the kinds of things we're against. We tried to get them to stop once some of our fans were getting upset, but they made a comment on Hil's height." Glancing back at the bus, she lowered her voice. "She gets very upset when people press her on it."

"Anyway," Brandy continued, knowing if Jacee took over, the fight would be WAY over-glorified. "Hil took it upon herself to give them a verbal lashing, and when one of them dared to smack her…well, they all got a little piece of Hil."

"So who were these girls?" Jacee swept her hand off to the side in an exaggerated manner, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, they had dubbed themselves the Sensational Sisters or something like that. They weren't all that great if you ask me."

At this point, Ash, Misty and Brock had their mouths hanging in shock. After a few moments, Ash and Brock were rolling on the floor laughing. Misty still sat in shock, not even paying attention to the interview. She did have to admit, it was kind of satisfying that her sisters finally got what was coming to them for their superiority complexes, but still, they were her sisters. She had to show a little compassion.

"I can't believe this," she barely whispered as the boys finished wiping the tears from their eyes. Ash was the first to sit back down on the couch as Misty started to overcome her shock.

"Whew! You have to admit, Mist, that was pretty funny! I mean, it's about time your sister's learned their lesson, but who'd have thought it would come from another runt like you?! And a cute one, too!" Ash instantly cursed his idiocy and was already waiting for Misty's mallet to clobber him. When it didn't, he turned his head only to be met by her hand smashing itself across his face. He went flying off the couch again, and Brock curled himself up in another fit of laughter.

"A little runt, huh? Is that what you still think of me after all this time?" Ash shook himself off as he stood.

"No, Mist, come on, I didn't mean that," he whimpered, rubbing his cheek. "I just wasn't thinking, that's all."

"Oh sure, and that's why you think she's a cuter runt than I am, huh?" Now Ash was getting mad. Brock's laughter stopped as he realized this wasn't going well.

"It was just a comment, Mist, so what if I said she was cute? I didn't say she was cuter than you!"

"Oh, so now you're trying to butter me up?" Ash was shocked. Where does she get this stuff?!

"For crying out loud, Misty, I just said she was a cute runt!"

"And I'm not?"

"Yes you are!"

"So you do think I'm a runt?"

"What?! I didn't say that! What is with you?"

"You just admitted that you think I'm a runt!"

"I did no such thing! What I am admitting is that you sure have been a brat lately!" Misty gasped. "Yeah, that's right. A spoiled rotten brat."

"And you're doing much better by calling me names? You childish, egotistical, selfish twit!" He stepped back in mock defense.

"Ooo, big words are making you so much better."

"Yeah, and a big act is making you so much dumber!"

"You know, you're getting more and more like your sisters!"

"How dare you!"

"Yeah, I'm daring! What makes you so much better than me, huh?"

"The way you're acting right now!" It was a little lame, she admitted, but it did seem at least partially justified.

"The way I'M acting? What about the way you've been acting?! All you've done is hop around the house like a little girl raving about your special little concert, not caring that you haven't paid one bit of attention to me or to us as a couple!! I doubt you even care about it anymore!" Misty was fuming. She knew he had her nailed with that comment, but it didn't stop her from spitting back.

"And I suppose this is how you're showing you care about me?" Ash flinched, the remark hitting home. Misty somewhat regretted saying it, but didn't feel like showing him that in the heat of battle. Brock was the only one that realized both of them had done something wrong, and also that neither of them would attempt to atone for it.

It was a stubborn, yet entertaining relationship to observe.

Both of them were breathing so hard and so fast that Brock was sure one would charge the other. Luckily, they kept it at a fierce staring competition. Brock made a move to say something, then thought better of it for his own safety. Even one glance spared for him probably would've sent him screaming out of the room. After glaring at each other for no particularly sane reason, Misty growled and turned toward Brock, who instinctively whimpered.

"I'm going to the concert with you, Brock."

"But I've already given my ticket to-" Misty squealed and stormed off before he could finish. Ash and Brock just stared at her as she went down the hall, slamming the door to her room.

"Todd," Brock finished.

"Todd?" Ash asked in an effort to calm down.

"Yeah, he wanted to go. A magazine hired him to take some snapshots of the concert, and he knew I had backstage passes. He even promised to pay me!" Ash grew angry again at the mention of the passes.

"Well you can take that sniveling, selfish, scrawny little redheaded runt with you!" he screamed, making sure Misty could hear. Then he stormed out of the house. Brock simply sighed and gave thought to starting dinner.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Well you can take that sniveling, selfish, scrawny little redheaded runt with you!"

Misty heard it all right. She flinched at every descriptive word, squeezing the tears out each time. She knew Ash had been right, and that she shouldn't have done what she did, but that didn't mean what _he_ did was right. She reached forward from the foot of her bed and turned on the radio, growling at the song as it was announced, but listening to it anyway.

She started to relax as the gentle intro arpeggio was played, followed by two another slower one accompanied with two chords. Two voices "ooo'd" the melody along with the lead singer of the verse.

_Our hearts were one_

Yours and mine

But now that you're gone

I just can't find

The feelings I shared with you once before

So now I sit and wait at the door

Hoping that you'll come back to me

And help my find my identity

Misty's tears flowed freely, but not forcibly, as the a capella edit of Identity Crisis continued.

_Cause I don't know who I am or what I am without you_

Doesn't matter where I've been or what I've been through

When you're not around what can I do?

I know that one thing's true

Something's amiss

Identity crisis

I feel incomplete

When you're not near

And now my life

Has been controlled by fear

Afraid that you'll forget our love

You my angel sent from above

Come back to me and I will make you see

The feelings that I have inside of me.

Misty watched forlornly out the window as Ash strolled angrily away from the house. She wished, deep down, that he could hear this song, but on the surface wouldn't admit he meant THIS much to her.

The chorus began again, now in two part harmony.

_Cause I don't know who I am or what I am without you_

Doesn't matter where I've been or what I've been through

When you're not around what can I do?

I know that one thing's true

Something's amiss

Identity crisis

Just don't know, just don't know who or what I am without you…

I gave my soul for you to hold

To share with you these feelings untold

If you feel the same for me

Please let me see

So we can be one heart

So we can be one soul

So we can be…

One identity

She started to sing along with the final verse, hoping that by some strange force, Ash would hear her.

_I'm waiting for you_

To come sweep me off my feet

Then and only then

Will our love be complete

Until my life is over and through

I'll be sitting here waiting for you

I know that we were meant to be

Together forever you and me

She walked out as the final chorus played. She was better than this, and wouldn't put up with pining for some guy!

So she told herself.

_Cause I don't know who I am or what I am without you_

Doesn't matter where I've been or what I've been through

When you come around just wait and see

We are one just you and me

Cause without you I have

An identity crisis…..

Identity Crisis!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Misty, Brock and Todd left together, riding toward Viridian on Onix. Todd yawned for the fiftieth time it seemed, ready to fall off of the lumbering rock snake.

"You say we'll get there by seven?" Todd managed to ask. Brock nodded eagerly. "You do realize the concert doesn't start until eight tonight, right?" He nodded again.

"THEN WHY ARE WE TRYING TO GET THERE BY SEVEN IN THE MORNING!?!?" Misty joined Todd in yelling at Brock. Brock nearly fell off Onix from the force of their scream.

"Relax, guys," he said as he resettled himself. "The official Identity Crisis fan club reported that people who got there really early ran into the group and spent some time with them. Think about it! A personal meeting!" Brock went into pretty girl mode. Misty was in star struck mode. Todd had his camera in quicksnap mode.

With that, there was no more complaining about the early morning departure.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum…dum be doo be dum, dum, dum, dum, dum," one hummed. The harmony joined in.

"Dum be doo be dum, dum, dum, dum, dum….dum be doo be dum…wah, wah, wah, waaaah." The three girls smiled. It had been a favorite little ditty to start warming up on, even though they didn't know the real words after that, or even the melody line. It was early, around seven fifteen when they started warming up. Jacee was still yawning.

"Do we really have to be up this early?" Hil laughed.

"Do you have to complain before every concert that we have to be up this early?" Brandy joined Hil in laughing, Jacee merely yawning again. After a few more warm ups, including a counting lesson Jacee was never really fond of, they stopped as a huge shadow was approaching them.

"Brandy, is it just me or is a huge snake coming this way?" Jacee glanced over at it, shrugging when Brandy didn't answer Hil's question.

"Just an Onix. Probably coupla kids figured they'd catch us before the crowd." Sure enough, when the large rock pokemon made its entrance, the three visitors were placed on the ground.

The girls were used to it. They had decided as their group was starting to connect with fans, not treat them like so many numbers. They didn't mind one bit if people decided to come see them before a concert, or wait for them after one. Some were even allowed on the tour bus (with much sneaking around the managers). They greeted the trio that descended from Onix, sending all three of them into a quiet stupor. Brock immediately approached Brandy, taking her extended hand in his own and going into pretty girl mode.

"Hi, my name is Brock and you're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen so would you go out with me?" Brandy kind of raised an eyebrow at him, glancing at the others for help. Misty merely tapped him on the shoulder.

"Next, Brock." He then moved on to Hil and did the same thing. She simply laughed and watched as he moved on to Jacee. Jacee looked at Misty and made a smacking motion.

"Doesn't matter to me. Feel free," she responded. With that, Jacee sent Brock flying toward a wall off to the side. Misty and Todd were a little shaken. Misty didn't realize Jacee was that powerful, nor that Brock had THAT bad an effect on her. Brandy spoke up for her.

"Jacee's already got a boyfriend, and she usually doesn't take well to drooling guys." Jacee became indignant.

"I just don't see what the point is in being all goo-goo ga-ga over someone! I don't see what guys like in me! I don't even see what my boyfriend sees in me."

"Neither do we," Hil and Brandy answered in unison. Each one received a prompt poke in the ribs. Both jumped, casting her a warning glare. She glared right back at them. Then they were all smiles. Misty and Todd were amazed.

"You three could be sisters! Although, you're a lot cooler than my sisters," Misty added. Todd instantly tensed. If they found out who Misty's sisters were…

"Oh really? What are our sisters like?" Hil asked. Misty immediately realized her mistake. She glanced over at Todd for help, who merely gave her a look saying, "You got yourself into it, and I'm not helping with this one!" She mouthed back at him a sarcastic "Thanks a lot," with a glare, then looked down, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Well, they really aren't all that great. They picked on me a lot because I was the youngest, and they didn't think I was as good as they were. To them, I was always a scrawny little runt. So I ran away from home when I was ten and told myself I could make them proud of me, and vowed not to return until I was a great water pokemon trainer. That's when I started running into all of the friends I have now. We ended up seeing them again, and they acted a little nicer toward me, but I get tell it took a lot of effort for them to do even that much. I still kind of have hard feelings against them. I try not to be like them, though," she added quickly, looking up at the girls. Jacee was interested. It was almost like this girl was looking for their approval….

"That sounds like those girls we dealt with in Cerulean," Brandy added. Both Misty and Todd flinched, and Brandy caught it. "Was it something I said?" Misty looked back at Todd, silently telling him she couldn't say it.

"Well, um, actually, those girls are Misty's sisters," he said kind of quietly. The three looked on in shock, Jacee in understanding. Apparently, Misty knew how Hil had reacted to the girls, and being related to them wasn't exactly a great thing. Hil was shocked that this sweet little girl could be related to them.

"Those sensational brats were your sisters?" Brandy couldn't help saying. Jacee whispered her name harshly, even though she was thinking the same thing. Misty nodded sadly. Hil smiled after a while.

"Wow, that must bite. You're a really nice girl, though. Don't let them fool you on that." Misty smiled. Brock was just making his way back to them, and had finished recalling Onix.

"She wasn't all that nice yesterday," Misty hammered him back to the wall before he could finish. Todd, unfortunately, continued the story.

"Oh yeah, Brock told me about that. You got into some kind of tiff with Ash, didn't you? From what he told me, it was a real doozy!" Misty was ready to hammer him to oblivion as well. The last thing she wanted to be reminded of was Ash, especially with three of her idols in front of her.

"Fight with your boyfriend?" Hil inquired. Misty nodded solemnly, and they all smiled knowingly. Many a time had they helped Jacee with her boy problems, and she was very grateful to them for that. If it hadn't been for them, she reminded herself, she would've been a very sad, lost girl. _Sisters is an understatement. Saviors is more like it!_

"Mind if we ask what happened?" Brandy said. Misty blushed slightly, folding her hands together.

"Oh, it's nothing important. Besides, I wouldn't want to bother you with it."

"Hey, it's no problem!" Jacee said happily. "We're always happy to help." The other two nodded. Misty consented and explained what happened. All three of them smiled. This concert would be perfect for them!

"I'll tell you what," Hil said. "If I'm right, you'll have to sit next to Ash, even though you came in with Brock." Misty looked highly upset, but realized it was true. Even the dumbest guard couldn't mistake 99 for 10. 100 though….

"Anyway, when he shows up-"

"If he shows up," Todd interjected.

"When, he shows up," Hil continued, "be civil with him. I think we can rearrange the performance schedule juuuust enough to help you out." Brandy and Jacee smiled. They knew which song she had in mind. "It's a pretty upbeat song, one of the ones that Jacee wrote. We'll let you two know which one's for you." She winked at Misty, who was slack jawed. Todd was quite impressed, too.

"You mean, you'd change something in your show?…No, I couldn't let you do that. Listen, it's not that important, I'm sure it'll blow over…" Brandy held up a hand and interrupted her.

"Don't worry. This song will be perfect for you two, and I bet it'll help patch things up for the better." Misty became a little teary eyed, but smiled through it.

"Thank you. Thank you very much." Jacee put her arm around her shoulders.

"It's no prob. Now whaddya say we all go get something to eat, huh? I need some breakfast!" Misty and Todd were shocked again. Brock was just battered, bruised and confused when he stood next to them.

"Are you sure? I mean, we don't want to interrupt you guys if you're rehearsing or…um…something," Todd finished quietly, blushing.

"Eh, Jacee's always cranky if she doesn't eat, so it's for the better anyway!" They all laughed and started to walk off. Then Todd snapped his fingers and stopped them.

"Do you guys mind if I take a picture first? I think this would be a perfect shot for the article that magazine is doing!" They all nodded and he set his portable tripod up. With the timer going, he ran to stand between a drooling Brock and a slightly scared Brandy, for Brandy's sake more than anything. Poor Hil was on her own beside him, but he was more fixated on Brandy, despite Todd's sudden appearance. Next to Hil was Misty, head hung down in embarrassment over Brock, and at the other end was Jacee, smiling and laughing at it all.

And so the picture was shot, and as soon as Todd finished breaking down his equipment, they were off again. It was the beginning of an entire day of fun for all of them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, back at the ranch….

Ash sat sulking on the couch. He hadn't left the house all day, and he didn't plan on changing that. Pikachu knew better than to waste good shock power on him, so he was content to let his master mope. True, he agreed that Misty's attitude the past week wasn't all that great, but he sided with Misty when it came down to all the degrading things Ash had yelled about her. So he merely sat beside him on the couch, wolfing a bottle of ketchup as the six o'clock news started up.

As expected, they were covering the concert. Ash growled and reached for the remote, but Pikachu thunderbolted him and took it away. He was gonna get revenge for Misty one way or another!

Ash mumbled under his breath as the report began. The stage was kept dark, because none of the group wanted to ruin any surprises for the show. Once again, the reporter was with the three girls, who were waving goodbye to another group of three people walking toward the seats.

"Who are those three young people you just waved to?" the reporter predictably asked.

"Oh, just a coupla friends we made today. They showed up about seven thirty this morning, and we just kinda spent the day together." Ash couldn't quite put a finger on it, but there was something strangely familiar about the three silhouettes walking away. Especially the one with the funky side ponytail…

"So you don't even really know who they are, but you spent an entire day with them before your concert?"

"Of course, why not?" Brandy answered. "They came out to see us. Obviously they came to the concert to have a good time, and since they were majorly early, they had a little more fun than the rest of the people will." The reporter raised an eyebrow, realizing that the group that just left contained two boys and a girl. Perfect match, considering one of the girls was rumored to have different tastes….

"What kind of 'fun' did you have?" Jacee glared in disgust, but answered the question anyway.

"Oh, we went out to eat for breakfast and lunch, hopped by the arcade, did some shopping, saw a movie. You know, regular _friend_ stuff."

"So that group of people were just friends?" Hil nodded.

"Nothing more, nothing less."

"And you two weren't attracted to the young men in the group at all?" he asked, directing the question to Hil and Brandy. They shook their heads. "And you, Jacee, were you attracted to the-"

"I have a boyfriend, thank you very much," she cut him off angrily. When the reporter noticed the glare, he gulped and quickly dropped the subject. Who believed those rumors, anyway?

"Well, there you have it folks. Three girls unlike any others, sharing their time with their fans." Brandy added a comment.

"Don't forget, we'll be seeing ten people backstage tonight. If all ten of them show," she said with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, which we hope they all will," Jacee added.

"Especially the lucky guy who got the last two passes. Anyway, we've got work to do. Hope to see you all here tonight, 'specially you Mr. Lucky!" Hil finished with a wink. Funny, Ash thought, she seemed to be looking right at me.

"In less than two hours," the reporter took over as the girls were leaving. Jacee could barely be heard asking the other two, "Is he a news guy or a tabloid reporter? How nosy!" "The Identity Crisis concert will begin. Not much more can be said, other than you'd just have to be here. This is Jay Jones, signing off."

Ash smiled, convincing himself that the cute little blond was talking to him. He wasn't sure why. Probably because he was still getting over the guilt of what he did to Misty, but he sure wouldn't let that get to him. He stood up, fists on his hips in a confident pose.

"Come on, Pikachu. Mr. Lucky has a date with the stars!" He marched out of the house, an air of arrogance about him. Pikachu rolled his eyes and followed. At least he's moving!

Once outside, Ash called out Pidgeotto, and the two hopped on his back to fly to Viridian.

"Identity Crisis, here we come!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Misty fidgeted nervously as the time for the concert drew near. Ash's seat was still empty, and she was afraid he wouldn't show. After talking to the girls, she admitted to herself that Ash wasn't the only one who did something wrong, and that she did need him near. She only hoped she'd get the chance to admit it.

Sure enough, he came down the right aisle, not looking forward to having to sit next to her. He told himself to be civil, though. He'd get his chance to get back at her after the concert. Part of him didn't like that idea, but he didn't listen to his better half.

Misty jumped as he tapped her shoulder. She spun around to look at him, then reminded herself not to look him directly in the eyes. His eyes always won her over.

"Well, I didn't think you were ever gonna show," she said just loud enough for him to hear.

"Why, looking forward to my coming?" Ash slyly replied.

"I was just curious!" she snapped back. "Anyway, are you gonna sit or not? The concert's about to start." She politely stepped back as he moved into his seat. As soon as she resituated herself, a spotlight came on as Brandy made an appearance on the left side of the stage. Immediately, the crowd broke into wild screams and applause, chanting her name. When she managed to get them quieted down, she flipped on the microphone and spoke.

"It's good to see all of you here tonight. We just have one little note to say before we get started." Hil stepped out into the spotlight on the other side of the stage, and the audience once again broke out into screaming and chanting. Again, a few minutes passed before they were silenced.

"We picked this song to be first for a special little lady and her guy out there. Here's to a true sensational sister!" With that they walked off after another burst of screams.

Misty had gone a bright red. She didn't expect anything like that! Even if it wasn't all that much. Ash was slack jawed, now. He glanced over at Misty when it suddenly hit him: Sensational sister…her…her guy…him!

"You guys were the three they hung out with today?!" She didn't get a chance to answer though, because all the lights came on and three curtains were being held up on stage. A keyboard solo started up, and on the beginning beat of each measure, the shadows behind the curtains struck a different pose. Soon the drums and guitar kicked in, making the crowd go wild and Jacee made her entrance through the center curtain. Her dance began as she started singing.

_I keep on running but I can't feel the ground_

I try to hide but the walls keep tumbling down

With that, the other two curtain fell in a burst of sparks and Brandy and Hil made their entrances. Ash and Misty, along with everyone else, were fascinated by the effects, being sucked in to the show.

_I try to face that there is nothing that we can do_

But at least I can say this to you…

The trio froze as the guitar picked up a solo fill, then the real dance and effects began.

_Forgive me_

For what I didn't do

Forgive me

For abandoning you

I'm sorry all I did

Was run and hide

But I had to be alone

To fight the pain inside.

The intro beat repeated before the next verse. Ash and Misty started to think as the words ran through their head. Neither one was ready to look at the other, but both were starting to feel awful about their actions.

_You're asking me to be forgiving you_

But I ask that you forgive me too

You're not to blame for what happened that night

This wouldn't have happened if I'd treated you right (treated you right)

The last line was spoken and Brandy and Hil echoed. Misty was already looking at Ash, wondering how she would apologize for the terrible way she treated him the past week. Ash was panicking over how to take back everything he'd said about her. Before either one put much more thought into, they tuned back into the song.

_I feel so sorry for the pain I've caused_

This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't paused

If I had only shown my love inside

Then maybe I wouldn't be crying tonight

Forgive me

For what I didn't do

Forgive me

For hurting you

I'm sorry all I did

Was run and hide

I left you all alone

To face your pain inside

At some point during the chorus, Hil and Brandy had made their way back toward the saxophone player and keyboard player, respectively. They took over in a jamming duet before the final verse and chorus. Jacee was getting the crowd worked up, and made sure Misty saw her thumbs up and wink before moving back into place as the other two started singing, Brandy the first two lines, Hil the next and her finishing up.

_We keep on running_

We need to stop (Ah!)

We try to hide

What we can not

I know together

That we can pull through

But you have to believe that my feelings for you are true

For the final chorus, the driving rock beat died down, leading to a mellower beat, as if taking a fast walk.

_So forgive me_

And I'll forgive you too

Forgive me

And I promise you

From this moment on

I'll be right by your side…

The instruments stopped as the three girls came together during the chorus. The girls finished the song, accompanied by only the keyboard.

_And you'll never be alone_

To face your pain inside

The applause blared up, along with screams and chants in different areas of the crowd. Ash and Misty ignored it all, taking each other's hand.

"I guess they said everything for us," Ash said loud enough for her to hear. She nodded modestly before he continued. "You know I'm sorry."

"You know I am, too," she replied.

"Leave it at that?" he asked cautiously. She smiled wide before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing the daylights out of him.

And so the concert went on without them for a few moments. When they were through, they went back to enjoying it.

All three singers had seen it. They winked at each other before continuing with the show.

It was a good life if you made it that!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the concert was over, the girls ushered Todd, Brock, Misty and Ash into their tour bus before anyone could catch them. Then they returned to the setup to meet with the other six winners.

Meanwhile, Todd and Brock gabbed about what kind of pictures Todd got, and who Brock thought was the prettiest of the three girls (and he said each one was the most beautiful at one point or another), but Ash and Misty were caught up in their own little world. Both were still a little uncomfortable around each other, neither feeling like they had apologized enough. That sat for about forty-five minutes, and right as the two were about to speak, Jacee burst back into the bus.

"We're back!" Hil followed, tailed by Brandy.

"Did ya miss us?" Hil asked coyly, winking at Ash. Brock and Todd were up on their feet in an instant. The group started up in discussion, mostly nonsense stuff or stuff about the concert. After another fifteen minutes, Brandy pulled herself away from the group and made her way toward Ash and Misty.

"So did things work out for you two?" she asked, though the site of them wrapped around each other was enough of an answer.

"Yeah, you could say that," Ash said gently as he looked into Misty's eyes.

"I can't thank you three enough, Brandy. That really helped out." Brandy waved her hand.

"Ah, don't worry about it. We love helping people out. Besides, getting into fights is actually healthy for a couple. Every now and then, of course. You should hear about some of the things Jacee and her boyfriend went through! There was this one time-" she was cut off as a pillow made contact with the back of her head. She turned around to see Jacee wagging a finger at her. So she shrugged and started on a different track. "Well, I'm sure you two will be just fine. It seemed typical enough." Ash smiled as the others started to join around them. Things weren't so uncomfortable anymore.

"So did you guys like the show?" Hil asked as she plopped down on the couch next to Ash. The scattered comments began again as each person raved about their favorite part. After a half hour of idle chitchat, everyone was relaxing. Finally, Brock yawned and mentioned the idea of heading home.

"Yeah, I guess it is getting kinda late. Or it might just be we used up so much energy for the show!" Brandy said.

"So did we!" everyone chimed, bursting into another fit of laughter. As they calmed down, hugs were handed out by everyone, but when Hil got to Ash, she kissed him on the cheek. He smiled goofily as Misty only half playfully glared at her.

"And what was that for?" she asked.

"Let's just say it's a gift from a cute little runt," she said with a wink. Ash blushed and Misty brought up a pillow to launch at her.

"You wanna fight for him?" Hil joined in and grabbed her own pillow as Ash plopped back down on the couch.

"Wow, two small fries fighting over me!" he caught his mistake too late as the pillows, fists, feet, blankets, mallets and various other objects were now directed toward him. During his mangling, though, the manager caught site of the shaking bus and hopped on, seeing the four guests. Misty and Hil froze, fists holding pillows in the air, both still holding Ash up by the collar.

"What are you three doing!? How many times have I said no visitors smuggled onto the bus?" Hil punched Ash with a pillow one last time before standing up to plead along with Brandy and Jacee. The manager, who treated all three of the girls like his own daughter's consented, but remained stern.

"Alright, alright, but they do have to go now. You three have a concert in Celadon to get ready for." Misty perked up.

"Hey, that means you'll pass through Pallet Town, doesn't it?" The manager nodded.

"Yes, young lady, we are going that way." She then looked at the girls.

"You can stop by Ash's on the way! It'd be great to hang out again!" The girls took up their pleading again, and the manager agreed a little R&R would be good. Then he shooed everybody out of the bus.

Jacee, Brandy and Hil said their final good night's as the group left for home on Onix's back. Brock stayed in drooling mode the entire ride, while Todd managed to find a position to sleep in without falling off. Ash and Misty held each other through the ride, not saying much as Ash recovered from his ambush.

"You deserved it, you know," she couldn't help but say…again.

"Yeah, yeah, don't push me on it."

"Promise never to call me a runt again?" she teased.

"You're not gonna hush about me being beat up, are you?" he asked, ignoring her question. She gazed at him seductively.

"You'll have to make me." He smirked back at her.

"I can deal with that," he whispered before kissing her. And the killer concert met a quiet ending for the rest of the night.

~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~*-_-*~

There you have it folks! This was a semi-tribute type thing for my girls, Brandy and Hilary, assuming they ever get to read it! I did ask their permission before printing it, though, so if you liked it, I'll thank them for you for letting me post it. Constructive criticism appreciated. R+R pretty please!! And sorry about the dum-dum part, but I just had to put it in! I hope you caught what it was girls! ^_~ I know this wasn't exactly one of my better ones. I like Love of an Angel better, but oh well. Learning is what being a new author is all about, isn't it? Till next time!

Lone Wolf


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